Choices
by Enchantress-99
Summary: When the barrier breaks, Maleficent arrives in Auradon, accompanied by the other three villains. Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos have a decision to make when they face their parents, one that will change their lives for the better. (Or, a tribute to Carlos)


**Hello, my loves**

**I had not abandoned Memories of Frost. I am simply in a rut for inspiration, and I am hoping to be updating soon. **

**However, after hearing the news on July 6, I remembered a simple one shot on my computer that was half-finished, and I decided that it was high time for me to finish it. **

**Disclaimer: All characters aside from Annette and Robert are owned by Disney. **

**Neutral POV**

Jay looked around at the people staring, terrified, at Mal, who was clutching the wand and staring at Ben with tears visible in her eyes. He caught sight of a familiar group, and his own eyes widened slightly. Aladdin, Jasmine, and Genie weren't looking at Mal. They were looking at Jay, and Aladdin had something that looked like sympathy in his eyes. Carlos was looking right at Anita and Roger Radcliffe, and the two Dalmatians on either side of them. His heart clenched. He would be the first to admit that he was the youngest out of the four, and probably the easiest to feel the guilt of what they were doing. Evie met the beautiful eyes of Snow White, and Prince Florin standing next to her. She bit her lip, attempting to stop it from trembling.

"Jay, stealing things doesn't make you happy!" Mal said, startling Jay as he looked at his best friend. "That's just your dad talking! You don't have to steal anymore just to get him off your back." Jay's eyes flicked towards the king and queen of Agrabah, and Aladdin was looking at him in surprise. The son of his greatest enemy was just like him. A street rat. "Turney and victory pizza with the team makes you happy, Jay." Jay grinned slightly and let out a small laugh.

"Carlos, scratching Dude's belly makes you happy! Who knew?' Mal said with a giggle, and Carlos looked down at his pet friend happily. "You've done the impossible, Carlos. You've completely turned away from what your mother believes, and you've even gotten over your fear!" Carlos took a breath and nodded. His hands shook slightly, but Mal's praise and fondness made him straighten up. He could see the shock in Anita and Roger's eyes, that the son of Cruella De Vil loved a dog, and not for its fur.

"And Evie..." Mal began, taking her best female friend's hand. The two girls smiled at each other, tears in both of their eyes. "You do not have to play dumb to get a guy! You are so smart." Evie took a breath, attempting to stop her tears. "If your mom can't see that, she doesn't deserve you as a daughter, because you are perfect just the way that you are." Snow White looked at the daughter of her enemy sadly. No doubt it was her mother who had put those ideas in her head.

"Taking over the world with evil won't make me happy. I want to go to school, and be with Ben, because Ben makes me really happy." Mal said, looking back at the son of Belle and the Beast. "Us being friends makes me really happy. I choose good, you guys." She stuck out her fist in the middle of their circle, and she glanced over at Audrey and her grandmother. This was her chance to make things right. She saw the others who were in the room with them. This was their time to make everything right for what their parents had done. There was a tense moment, and Evie smiled brightly, sticking out her own fist.

"I choose good." She said, her voice breaking slightly. She flicked her eyes to the side and gave a tentative, small wave to the princess who was standing next to her. Snow White looked at her in surprise and smile back at her.

"Good." Jay said next, putting his hand in. Jasmine gasped slightly, and grabbed Aladdin's arm, her eyes wide. Genie nudged his friend, grinning. Aladdin nodded to Jay, who nodded back. Carlos looked from his friend's faces, back to Anita and Roger, and then to Mal's surprisingly soft green eyes.

"Just to be clear, we don't have to worry about our parents, right?" he asked, and his friends all laughed. Carlos gave them a tentative smile. "Because, you know, they're going to be really mad."

"Your parents can't reach you here. You're safe." Ben spoke up from behind Mal, and Carlos took a deep breath, putting his fist in.

"I choose good." He told them, and they all looked behind them at Ben, and Mal motioned for him to come forward. When he touched his fist to theirs, the room began to cheer, and Mal leaned against Ben's shoulder, smiling happily. Suddenly, a cloud of green smoke burst into the room, and landed on the floor, dissipating to reveal Maleficent, with Jafar, the Evil Queen, and Cruella behind her.

"We're back!" Maleficent sang with a cackle, and Mal sighed.

"Go away, mother." She said, rolling her eyes. Maleficent laughed, along with the villains behind her.

"That girl has always been good for a laugh!" Cruella said, and she looked from Carlos to the couple standing at the front of the crowd. "Anita, darling! How lovely to see you again!" She broke away from the group of villains, walking towards the British woman. Roger moved in front of her, and Pongo and Perdita both stood in front of their owners, growling. Cruella glared down at them. Carlos looked down at Dude, who was growling at Cruella from his spot on the ground. He took a step forward, but Jay put a hand on his arm.

"Carlos, stay back." He muttered.

"She's going to hurt them, Jay!" Carlos protested, but the son of Jafar didn't move.

"Those Dalmatians have always been so beautiful. It's been so long since I've had a new fur coat. And I never did get my spots." Cruella cackled, and she produced a knife from nowhere, making the guests around her shriek and back away. Making a split-second decision, Carlos shook off Jay's restraining hand, going towards his mother.

"NO!" he shouted, pushing himself in front of Roger and Anita as Cruella slashed the knife down. Carlos winced, not crying out, as the knife cut into his arm. Gasps echoed through the hall, everyone staring at the white-haired boy. Cruella looked at her son, slight shock in her eyes.

"Carlos, get out of the way." She ordered, and Carlos stood tall, his arms spread out, and Dude at his feet, growling madly. Carlos had never stood up to his mother, but he was done being her servant. He was done being her doormat.

"No, Mom. I won't let you ruin anyone else's life." He said. "You've ruined my life since I was born and treated me like a slave. They don't deserve any of this." While everyone was focused staring at the two De Vil's, Jafar smirked evilly and clutched his new snake staff, which held his old powers. He slowly walked towards Aladdin and Jasmine, the ruby eyes of the staff glowing red. Jay saw his father advancing on the couple and did something that was probably one of the most reckless things he had ever done. He ran forward, tackling Jafar to the ground, and pushing the staff down.

"Leave them alone, Dad!" he said, struggling against his father's strength.

"Why are you stopping me, Jay? They ruined our lives!" Jafar protested.

"No, Dad. You ruined our lives." Jay replied. He gripped the staff tightly, but Jafar let loose a pulse of magic from it, hitting Jay in the chest, and pushing him back. Jasmine gasped, and rushed forward, kneeling at his side, as Aladdin pushed the ex-vizier to the ground, kneeling on his back and knocking the staff away.

"Jay!" Evie shrieked, grabbing Mal's arm. Mal looked behind them, and her eyes widened.

"E, go help her!" she said, and Evie turned, seeing her mother advancing on Snow White and her Prince, holding an apple dripping with poison. Evie nodded, and reached into her purse, pulling her mirror.

"Magic Mirror, shine your bright light!" she ordered, and a white beam shot from the mirror, blinding her mother for a moment. While the Evil Queen was distracted, Evie grabbed the apple from her mother's hand.

"What have you done, child? We could have had a perfect life!" The Evil Queen screeched and reached for the apple. Evie reeled back, but a drop of the poison landed on her arm, and she gasped in pain, throwing it to the ground. The Evil Queen reached for it, but Evie grabbed her mother's arms, pinning them.

"Step on the apple! Quick!" Evie told Snow White, who nodded and stomped on the apple, crushing it. Evie tightened her grip on her mother, wincing from the pain in her arm.

"Well, while this is all very fun, it's growing tiresome. Give me the wand, Mal!" Maleficent said, holding her hand out. Mal simply clutched it tighter.

"No, mother. These people are innocent." She replied.

"GIVE ME THE WAND, MAL!" Maleficent screamed, and Mal shook her head adamantly.

"M, maybe good is more powerful than evil!" Carlos said, still standing between his mother and the Radcliffs. As Maleficent advanced on her daughter, Dude ran towards the evil fairy, barking madly. He jumped at her, snarling and trying to bite at her face. Maleficent groaned, and threw him back, hard on the ground. She glared at the people gathered, who were silent with terror and shock, and enveloped herself in green smoke, transforming herself into a giant dragon. The people froze, literally, but Mal stood her ground, her green eyes beginning to fill with magic. The room was completely silent, and the only other people who were able to move were Evie, Carlos, Jay, and their parents.

"_The power of evil is good as none when stands before four hearts as one_." Mal chanted, and her mind thought of her three best friends, all facing their parents to protect the innocent. "_The power of evil is good as none when stands before four hearts as one!_" The room shook, throwing the frozen people off-balance, and green smoke surrounded the room as Maleficent roared angrily. The smoke disappeared, leaving a small, black lizard in front of Mal, a snake in front of Jay, a raven in Evie's arms, and a tiny, black feral dog in front of Carlos. Fairy Godmother unfroze.

"What did I do?" Mal asked, running towards the lizard. Fairy Godmother smiled at her and the others.

"No, no. Your mother did it. She shrunk to the size of the love in her heart. They all did. That's why they're so itty-bitty." She explained, and Mal knelt.

"Will they be like that forever?" she asked, and Evie walked to her friend, holding her mother in her arms. Carlos and Jay joined them.

"Well, forever is a long time. You all learned to love." Fairy Godmother said kindly, and the four looked at one another, smiling.

"I believe that this belongs to you." Mal said, handing the wand to Fairy Godmother, who nodded, taking it. She stood, and turned, waving the wand and letting her magic flow through the room. The people unfroze, and Ben ran to them.

"Are you all okay?" he asked, and Mal nodded, watching as servants came, and took each of the transformed villains away. People broke out into chatter, talking about what had just happened. Evie took a sharp breath, and fell to the ground, clutching her arm.

"E!" the other three exclaimed, and Jay caught her just as she was about to hit the ground.

"The poison. From the apple." Evie said, and her arm was bright red. Fairy Godmother immediately walked over to them, and gently took Evie's arm.

"This won't hurt a bit, dear." She said and began to wave her wand over Evie's arm. Mal turned and faced Carlos.

"Let me see your arm." She told him, and Carlos held out his arm, the cut bleeding through the fabric of his jacket. Mal used her magic and managed to conjure a white cloth for his arm. She began to wrap it tightly, making sure to cover the injury.

"I actually stood up to her, Mal." Carlos muttered, still slightly in shock. Mal smiled slightly, her green eyes sparkling with pride for one of her best friends.

"I know, Carlos. I'm so proud of you." She whispered. Carlos blushed slightly, happy with the praise. Mal squeezed his arm lightly, and looked back at Jay, who was supporting Evie a bit, her arm fully healed. "Are you okay, Jay? Your dad hit you pretty hard." Jay nodded.

"I'm fine, Mal. You know I've had worse." He responded, and Carlos froze slightly, looking down at his leg.

"We all have." He said, so quiet that his friends barely heard him.

**Carlos POV**

"Excuse me." The four turned and saw Anita standing behind them. "You're Carlos, right?" Carlos nodded, drawing back nervously.

"Yeah. I'm sorry about my mom." He said, and Anita smiled, placing a gentle hand on his arm.

"It's not your fault, Carlos. You protected us, stood up to your mother. You're nothing like her, and I just want to thank you." She replied, and Carlos tentatively smiled back at her. Dude came barking up to the duo, nuzzling his head against Carlos' leg, making him laugh.

"Hey, Dude." He said, reaching down and picking his pet up, hugging him close. He was glad Dude hadn't been hurt. He didn't know what he would have done if the small dog had been injured. Mal, Evie, and Jay would all agree with Carlos if he said that Dude had helped him to come out of his shell when they met. At the sight of the young boy holding the small dog like a lifeline, Anita's smile grew wider.

"Would you like to come meet Pongo and Perdita?" she asked, and Carlos looked sharply at her, his eyes wide with shock and thinly veiled excitement.

"R-r-really?" he stammered out. Anita laughed lightly, and put an arm around the white-haired boy's shoulders, leading him over to her husband and dogs. Roger gave Carlos a grin, and the boy tentatively smiled back as Pongo and Perdita studied the boy. The two Dalmatians approached Carlos cautiously, but once they saw Dude jump down from Carlos' arms happily, they moved even closer, nudging the young teen's hands, making him laugh slightly, kneeling down to pet them. Anita and Roger looked at the innocent child before them, a bright smile on the boy's face as Pongo and Perdita licked his cheeks.

"Did you have a pet on the Isle?" Roger asked, and Carlos shook his head, his expression becoming serious.

"Most kids had either one of Lucifer's kittens, Iago's chicks, or had one of Ursula's minions. My mom drilled it into my head at a very young age that dogs were evil creatures that would eat me. I was terrified of dogs until Ben introduced me to Dude." Carlos explained.

"I'm so sorry, Carlos." Anita said, her voice gentle. Carlos looked at her in surprise.

"It's not your fault. My mom's a terrible person." He laughed bitterly. "I was essentially her slave. That's the main reason I agreed to come to Auradon. I got to be free without her breathing down my neck."

"Carlos, if you don't mind me asking, what exactly did she do to you?" Roger asked, and Carlos scratched Pongo's ears.

"I cleaned her car and her furs, and if she didn't like how they were done, I'd be punished." He told the couple. "One night, when I was a kid, I got trapped in her fur closet with my leg stuck in one of her traps. I'm still surprised I didn't bleed out." Anita looked at her husband sharply, tears in her eyes. "I don't know how long I was there. All I know is that when she got home, she was more concerned about the fact that I had possibly gotten blood on her precious furs. She made sure her furs were all okay before she gave me some gauze, got the trap off me, and sent me to my room." Perdita licked Carlos' hand soothingly as he felt his eyes burn with unshed tears. Suddenly, Carlos was being held tightly by Anita, and he froze. He couldn't remember the last time he had been hugged. Hugs and other displays of affection were almost taboo on the Isle, and Cruella wasn't exactly the hugging type of mother. But Anita's hug was warm and caring, and Carlos allowed himself to lean against her, returning the hug gingerly. A strong hand fell on his shoulder, and Carlos glanced up at Roger, who mussed his hair gently. And suddenly, Carlos, for the first time in his life, felt safe. At that moment, in a hug that changed his life, Carlos didn't know what would happen, and he didn't care. He didn't know that Jay was about to drag him to the Coronation party, or that he would fall in love with Jane that very night. He didn't know that before the next week ended, he would be Carlos Radcliffe, not Carlos de Vil. He didn't know that he would graduate valedictorian, or that he would propose to Jane as his speech ended. He didn't know, and he didn't care. Carlos was in a mother's embrace for the first time in his entire life, and as he glanced up towards his friends, a smile appeared on his face. Mal was in Ben's arms as he held her close, Adam and Belle speaking quietly to the duo, the queen with a soft smile on her face. Jay was talking to Aladdin and Jasmine, the former with a small frown on his face and a hand on Jay's shoulder. Evie and Snow White were hugging and crying, Doug and Prince Florian watching the two with smiles. Carlos let out a small sigh and relaxed even further into Anita's motherly hug.

He knew then the answer to the question that he had asked himself every night since arriving in Auradon.

He and his friends?

They would finally be okay.

* * *

Years later, after Carlos and the other graduated Auradon High, their lives changed for the better. Ben and Mal were coronated as King and Queen of Auradon, Evie and Doug were married, living with Snow White and Florian while serving as confidants to the new King and Queen. Jay and Lonnie taught at Auradon High, coaching Turney and fencing as each, much to the amusement of his friends, struggled to propose to the other, which ultimately resulted with both proposing at the same time. Carlos and Jane were married, with Jane replacing her mother as Headmistress of Auradon High and Carlos becoming the Robotics and Mathematics teacher. They were the first of their friends to be married and to have children, twins that they named Robert and Annette, after the two people who took Carlos in and showed him how parents are supposed to love their children. The two people Carlos called "Mom" and "Dad", and whom his children adored.

When Bobby and Annie were ten, Carlos finally understood why it was so awful to have a dog and to love it as part of the family. Dude was six when he and Carlos first met on the Turney field. The years passed and Dude remained loyal to Carlos, living through three weddings and Jane's pregnancy. Carlos had been pulling out his coffee mug when he checked on Dude, a normal morning while his wife and children sat around the kitchen table. Carlos had knelt down beside Dude's bed and had stroked the dog's head gently.

"Hey, buddy." He said softly. Dude was silent, and Carlos noticed the lack of a rise and fall in the dog's chest. Carlos felt his heart clench as his eyes burned. His mug of coffee slipped from his fingers and landed on the floor, shattering. Dude remained still, and tears began to fall down Carlos' cheeks.

"Honey?" Jane asked, rushing over with the dustpan. She quickly took away the shards of ceramic and knelt beside Carlos, gasping softly when she realized what had happened. "Oh, C."

"What's wrong with Dude, Daddy?" Annie asked, leaning against Carlos.

"Why isn't he moving?" Bobby questioned. Carlos breathed deeply and looked at his two children.

"Do you guys remember when Gran and Pop lost Pongo and Perdy?" The twins nodded. "They were very old, just like Dude."

"Did Dude go to live with Pongo and Perdy?" Bobby asked, and Carlos nodded. Annie's dark brown eyes, a perfect match for her father's, welled with tears. Carlos pulled her into his arms as they both cried, Jane hugging them and Bobby clinging to his mother.

"Will we forget him, now that he's gone?" Annie asked fearfully through her sobs.

"We won't, sweetie." Jane said, rubbing Annie's back.

"But what if we do?" Annie wailed. Carlos kissed Annie's forehead; the small family's cheeks streaked with tears as he spoke-

_"What we have once enjoyed deeply we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes part of us."_

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_**quote credits to Hellen Keller**_

**Rest in Peace Cameron Boyce, 1999-2019**

**thank you for creating lasting memories for so many people, including myself.**

**thank you for being part of my childhood and the childhood of thousands of other people in the world.**

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**"Goodbyes may seem forever, farewell is like the end. But in my heart's the memory, and there you'll always be."**

**\- The Fox and the Hound**


End file.
